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Compiled by GayToday
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Sacremento, California--The gay and lesbian community's open presence in the California state Legislature doubled in size yesterday, as state Sen. Sheila James Kuehl and state Assembly members Carole Migden, Jackie Goldberg and Christine Kehoe were sworn into office in Sacramento. Kuehl was supported by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund in her state Senate race this year. The Victory Fund also backed Goldberg and Kehoe this year, and Migden when she was first elected in 1998. |
 California state Sen. Sheila James Kuehl |
"The inauguration of these exemplary office holders marks a milestone for the gay and lesbian community in California, and a moment of which all Californians can be proud," said Brian K. Bond, executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, which works to increase the gay and lesbian community's open representation in public office as a means of ending discrimination.
"Another glass ceiling has been shattered. The talents of these four dedicated public servants will benefit all the hard-working families of the Golden State while strengthening the Legislature's commitment to equal rights."
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Kuehl, who represents Santa Monica, today became California's first openly gay or lesbian state senator. She had been a three-term Assembly member, and was first elected as California's first openly gay or lesbian state legislator in 1994 with Victory Fund support. Migden returned to the Assembly today representing San Francisco for her second term, and was joined by newly-elected members Jackie Goldberg of Los Angeles and Christine Kehoe of San Diego.
"With the potential for heightened gridlock at the federal level after this year's elections, it will be all the more important for our community's voices to be heard at the state legislative level," said Bond. "The pathbreaking election of Sheila Kuehl to the California Senate, and the victories of Carole Migden, Jackie Goldberg and Christine Kehoe in the Assembly, will prove noteworthy not only for their symbolism but also for their substance."
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Related Sites:
Victory Fund
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